In a hand held portable label printing apparatus or labeler, for example, of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,100,852 and 4,116,747 which issued to the assignee of the present invention, a series of pressure sensitive labels are carried by a web and are successively advanced over a platen where each label is printed with predetermined information by a set of selectable endless printing bands forming part of a movable print head. After each label is printed, the carrier web is advanced around a delaminator where the printed label is peeled from the carrier web for application to an article by means of an applicating back-up roller. The movement of the print head and the alternating advancement of the carrier web are produced by an indexing mechanism which is preferably actuated by a trigger forming part of the handle portion of the labeler.
In a labeler of the type generally described above, it is common to use an ink applying roller which is supported for movement across the selected printing characters in response to movement of the print head. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 13 of above mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,852, the ink roller has projecting end journals which snap-fit into corresponding bearing recesses formed within the side walls of a molded plastic holder. The holder is pivotally supported for movement within an aperture formed in the side wall of the labeler housing. To replace the ink roller, the end hub portions or journals of the used roller are pulled out of the snap-fitting bearing recesses, and the journals of a new or fresh roller are snapped into the bearing recesses.
Another ink roller support assembly is disclosed in connection with FIGS. 35 and 67 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,852. In this embodiment, the ink roller is supported by a holder which is pivotally supported between the side walls of the labeler housing, and the holder includes spaced arms having slots which receive the end journals of the ink roller. To replace the ink roller, the slotted arms are sprung apart to remove one of the journals from its supporting slot.
Referring to the hand-held labeler disclosed in above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,116,747, the holder for the ink roller is shown in FIGS. 1, 10 and 11 and is pivotally supported by a pivotal cover section of the labeler housing. The ink roller holder has deformable or pivotal side walls (FIG. 10) which are pinched or squeezed together to release the hub portions or journals of the ink roller from corresponding holes formed within the side arm extensions of the holder. A new ink roller is inserted by gripping the cylindrical inking surface and snap-fitting the end journals into the bearing holes.
Since it is periodically necessary to replace the ink roller in a hand-held labeler after a predetermined number of labels have been printed, it is highly desirable to provide not only for a positive retention of the ink roller but also for conveniently removing a used roller and inserting a new or fresh ink roller without touching the porous inking surface of the roller. In the replacement of the ink rollers disclosed in the above-mentioned patents, it is not uncommon for the operator's fingers to contact the inking surface inadvertently, thus resulting in an ink stain or smudge on the operator's fingers or hand.